As I was walking home from BART at about 4 pm today, I witnessed a group of kids at the corner of Tele/40th fighting. Turned out that two kids were attacking a third kid to steal his cell phone. I started screaming at the kids, and then a bunch of folks in cars also started yelling, and eventually the attackers took off (after punching the victim in the face and head, and slamming him against a car). The police were called, but never showed, so I offered the victim (an extremely nice young man from another neighborhood, who had come to Temescal for the first time to shop for a game) a ride home to East Oakland.
On our way to my house, we ran into two police cars. Apparently ONE HUNDRED KIDS had a brawl today in the Jack in a Box parking lot, that started because some kids tried to steal a cell phone. Then some kids attacked a kid at the bus stop on the north side of 40th to get a cell phone, and then they attacked the young man I'd met.
Both the victim I met and other kids who'd been attacked at Jack in a Box filed police reports, although the police tried to talk "my" victim out of it....they told him nothing would come of it, and it would take a long time. I asked him to do it, just because if we don't report crime, it's as if it hasn't happen to the powers that be.
Words fail me....talk about pointless, disgusting behavior. The officer told me that this behavior is typical at this time of year- it's a couple of months after Christmas, the kids are bored and they want something, so they spontaneously attack people to rob them.
If there is a moral to the story, do not walk down the street talking on your cell or texting, and please, let's all look after and out for each other!
Best,
Amy
43rd St.
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